School Overview

29 Parent Reviews for Catherine Cook School

We moved our daughter to CCS from another program and couldn't be happier. My child loves going to school and has learned so much. It still amazes me when I drop her off that every staff member in the school knows my daughter's name - from the head of school to the maintenance staff. There is a real
... Read more sense of community, responsibility, social justice, and accountability. The learning goes way beyond mere academics. I am thrilled with our experience at CCS! Read less

Posted by a parent on 03/03/13

yes, you will be paying a steep tuition like all private schools, and a gazillion additional fees for lunches, field trips, early and late drop off ( 20 $/ hour ! ) gym clothes etc..as well as constant solicitation for yearly donations. in exchange, you get small class sizes ( 15 / teachers ), caring
... Read more teachers, clean school. although it is getting a little cramped. then there is the technology, with computers for kids...but don't all kids have computers anyways nowadays, iphones etc.. ? and has it been shown that computers increases test scores ? not so. at the end of 6 -7 th grade, like most downtown parents, get ready to pay additional tutors ( 100 $/ hour ) to support your kid for the dreaded competition of SE and other tests for HS. Most of 8 th graders had outside tutoring at CCS, yes. did all kids got in WP, WY or Northside ? not so either. actually, some nearby public schools kids ( LP elementary for ex ) got more kids than ever in WP with near perfect scores ! at the rate college tuition are rising, I am not convinced that paying such hefty fees for private schools are worth it. And look at CPS stats: for 2012, 75 % of kids in SE were from public middle schools. Read less

Posted by a parent on 09/08/12

Our child transferred to the school in 6th grade and has done remarkably well from both an academic and a social standpoint. She is happy and has lots of friends and her standardardized test scores went up markedly within two years, (from average to high 90s for math, for example) which is quite remarkable
... Read more and we attribute it to the excellent teachers and focused attention on her and her learning style. We also enjoy the school community, finding the parents friendly and involved. We are very happy with our decision! Read less

Posted by a parent on 02/15/12

Catherine Cook School has become one of the top schools in the city, and we are proud to have our daughter enrolled there. She started preschool in 2009, and we have been very pleased with our child's education and teachers. Here's what we love: the staff and administration run the school using sound
... Read more principles that make sense to well educated parents, the academics are outstanding, graduates go on to top-tier high schools, parents are very involved, and the school's mission, vision, and values are not only aligned with our own--they are being carried out with concrete actions in the school. Kids there are happy and polite, as are the staff. Everyone from the maintenance staff to the Head of School and everyone in between expresses genuine joy in greeting our child each day. Parent concerns are taken seriously, with prompt meetings at the highest level necessary. The Everyday Math program, Writer's Workshop, Handwriting without Tears, integrated technology program, foreign language starting in SK, and all the other academic and artistic programs are truly the best we could hope to offer our kids. Read less

Posted by a parent on 11/30/11

I have noticed that most of these less than stellar reviews are from 2007. In the four years since, Catherine Cook School has established itself as one of the leading independent schools in the city. Our oldest daughter started CCS in 2008 and our experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The faculty
... Read more is top notch and the school stands out in its meaningful integration of technology in the classrooms. The curriculum is rigorous enough but the arts are also emphasized. The visual arts program there is amazing and when you walk into the school, you immediately sense that it is an incredibly art-rich environment. The class sizes are small (about 20 kids to 2 teachers in a class) so teachers are able to individualize instruction and help kids work to their potential. Dr. Roberts and the division heads are all leaders and innovators in their fields. We feel so lucky to be at CCS. It's a wonderful community of people and our kids couldn't be happier at school. Read less

Posted by a parent on 05/11/11

I have two children at CCS and have been pleased with each teacher my kids have had for the last five years. The school is growing through the strong leadership of the head principle Dr Roberts. The teacher retention rate has improved and the school families are awesome. My children thrive at this
... Read more school and technology is ahead of other schools. Read less

Posted by a parent on 10/01/10

Catherine Cook has a great group of parents, and administrators who have spent a lot of time thinking about the direction of the school. However, the administration spends a bit too much time focused on abstraction and not enough time on execution. Often you have the sense of being in the middle of an
... Read more experiment that may or may not turn out as planned. There are some discipline issues, in large measure because admission is done when the applicants are too young to assess properly. The school should admit students no earlier than JK, like most private schools in the city. Read less

Posted by a parent on 10/02/08

The first day I toured Catherine Cook I knew that it was the school for us. The children are a happy, happy bunch. This school fosters creativity which is reflected in the children's art posted throughout the halls. My child has had wonderful teachers. She has made life long friends and so have we.
... Read more You will never met a more dedicated group of parents and staff. Read less

Posted by a parent on 07/11/08

We have been extremely happy at Catherine Cook. I think there have been some growing pains in recent years, but these have put the school in a great position with an amazing technology program, sports program, and teacher retention has never been better. Tuition increases 2 years ago were steep, but
... Read more were applied 100% towards teacher salaries and I can't think of a better use. The families are caring, and involved with a very active Parent Association. There is a sense of warmth that makes my daughter look forward to school every day with excitement. Read less

Posted by a parent on 04/30/08

We left another school to come to CCS, and we have not been disappointed. The teachers are excellent, the community is outstanding.
... Read moreRead less

Business and Technology, Phys Ed, Bookkeeping and Personal Finance, Health

Foreign Language

French, Spanish

English

Humanities

Math

Math

Music

Music

Computer Science

General

Arts

Art

Special Education

Early Childhood Special Needs

Before and After School

Inter-Scholatics Sports

Basketball

*The resources listed are programs that the institution is staffed to support. Staffing for a program does not guarantee that it will be offered. This content is provided by the institution and may be incomplete. The institution may offer programs not listed here. Please contact the school directly for additional details.

Advanced Placement

AP classes are college-level classes offered at the high school level. Once a student completes an AP class and passes a final comprehensive examination conducted by the College Board, the student earns college credit for the course. AP classes are specific and not to be confused with other higher-level classes such as honors classes.

Before/After School

"Extended day" programs where the school day is extended before and after school to accommodate working parents. These programs should not be confused with common after school clubs or athletic activities.

Gifted and Talented

A school system may identify 10% to 15% or more of its student population as gifted and talented. A brief description of each area of giftedness or talent as defined by the Office of Gifted and Talented:

general intellectual ability or talent - high intelligence test score (usually two standard deviations above the mean), and high levels of vocabulary, memory, abstract work knowledge and abstract reasoning;

specific academic aptitude or talent in one area such as mathematics or language arts;

creative and productive thinking, the ability to produce new ideas;

leadership ability, the ability to direct individuals or groups to a common decision or action;

visual and performing arts, special talents in visual art, music, dance, drama, or other related studies;

psychomotor ability, such as practical, spatial, mechanical, and physical skills.

Vocation/Technical Curriculum

Vocational and/or technical courses offered within a comprehensive school, usually a senior high school.

Special Education Classes

A school or program within a school that provides services and training to students with moderate to severe mental and/or physical disabilities.

Adult Education Classes

Programs offering GED or equivalent courses for adults within regular schools, whether classes are held during evening or daytime schedules.

English as Second Language

English language classes for students whose first language is not English.

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Parent Reviews

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Test Score Ratings

Test score ratings are based on the most recent standardized test results reported by this state. These ratings may help
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this school scored better than 70% of the students in the state on the same tests. We have indicated below which tests
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experience, academic programs, extracurricular activities, resources for special needs students, etc. These ratings are
not provided by the state Department of Education, which may have their own rating systems.